NBC crashed CBS's NCAA Tournament and became the unofficial sponsors of underdog Saint Peter's

• NBC has promoted their Peacock streaming service by supporting the Saint Peter's Peacocks men's basketball team.
• Peacock sent Saint Peter's cheerleaders and fans to games, created merchandise, and flew a Peacock banner over the Wells Fargo Center.

PHILADELPHIA — The synergy between NBC and the Saint Peter's Peacocks was too good for network to pass up.

While CBS televises the NCAA Tournament — and pays handsomely for that right — NBC has jumped at the chance to throw support behind the year's biggest Cinderella story, the 15th-ranked Peacocks from Jersey City, N.J.

To help promote their streaming service, Peacock, NBC got behind Saint Peter's after its first-round upset of No. 2 Kentucky.

When NBC found out the Peacocks could not afford to send their cheerleading squad to the second-round game in Indianapolis, NBC helped bus the cheerleaders over.

After Saint Peter's continued their miracle run by beating Murray State, NBC took its commitment even further.

Heading into the Sweet 16, NBC and Peacock did everything from creating more merchandise for Saint Peter's fans (due to an overwhelmed campus bookstore) to transporting more supporters to the game and flying a Peacock plane over Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia. They've even given free one-month streaming service subscriptions to Saint Peter's students.

There was also a watch party for Saint Peter's fans and alumni at Xfinity Live near the Wells Fargo Center, where the Peacocks defeated No. 3 Purdue, 67-64, on Friday (National Peacock Day, no less). The party drew a sizeable turnout and included a table of fake mustaches as a tribute to breakout Peacocks guard Doug Edert.

Arlene, a coordinator for Saint Peter's student activities, raved about Peacock's involvement, saying the cheer squad cried "tears of joy" upon finding out that they could attend the game in Indianapolis.

"They did absolutely everything to get us [here]," she told Insider.

Those involved with the project have been hesitant to put a price tag on how much NBC paid to support the Peacocks. Jon Yasgur, a creative director with Brooklyn Brothers, an agency that has assisted Peacock in its efforts, told Insider that the project had an ask-questions-later feel to it, all in the name of supporting the best story of the tournament.

As for CBS, it's unclear how the network feels about NBC's impromptu involvement in the tournament. A CBS Sports representative did not respond to Insider's request for comment.

Yasgur noted, thought, that during a CBS broadcast, announcers highlighted Peacock's efforts to get Saint Peter's supporters to the games, suggesting that everyone can appreciate support behind an unlikely Cinderella run.